Bill Bui and Ray Tan at Burswood Golf Course for the Lottery West Golf Day
I always enjoy being invited to golf days. They are a great way to socialise and meet new golfers and potential clients. This was the Lottery West Golf Day and I had been invited by my friend Bill . Bill owns the Swan Lottery Kiosk. He has just started golfing and this was his first corporate golf day.
The golf day was well organised as there was coaching on all aspects of golf before the game.
Bill and I were partnered with 2 other players in an ambrose competition.
We managed only to play to 1 over after 18 holes. Handicaps were based on mystery holes.
Unfortunately our scores were not enough to win. I did enjoy the teamwork. Ambrose is always good when each player pitches in, especially at a crucial time.
The eventual winners were 8 under. It was a good day but it may have been better if I finally win something in golf.
Was invited by Ben Suripto to a game at Royal Fremantle on Sunday morning. The other players were Ben , Ronny and Hanafi. Although all the players are quite good players, the pars were scarce. I played to 109 and was totally disappointed with my performance. The drives were Ok but the putts and 2nd shots were just not connecting. I will have to go back to tame the course. Even the passer by who took our photo did not do it properly so I do not even have a shot of the day.
The course is challenging and beautiful. Lots of hills and bunkers everywhere. Just could not get any pars until the last Par 5. It never fails, you think you are doing so badly and want to give the game up and then you hit a real beauty and it drags you back into the game.
When I got back home, my son Jaz wanted to go for 9 holes at Collier park. So I dragged myself there happily as I wanted to do better than the game at Royal Fremantle. Managed to hit 47 for 9 holes. That salvaged my pride.
However, I need to get back to Herbie for more lessons this Tuesday.
This is the first time I have walked 27 holes. It is tiring but if you are playing well, you do not feel it. Must do it again.
Here's an article by Andrew Park that reinforces my belief that a pre shot routine is the key to lower scores.
Get a Preshot Routine
By Andrew Park Original article can be found at
Do as the pro's do, and develop a series of habits designed to help you make a better swing more often.
To the untrained eye it might go unnoticed, but when a coach watches one of his players in a tournament he or she can tell immediately whether or not they are dialed into their A-game. Ernie Els is a perfect example, and a player we know very well at the DLGA headquarters here at Champions Gate.
When Ernie is playing and swinging well - often referred to as being 'in the zone' - he follows a very definite routine on every single shot that he makes. This involves identifying an intermediate target a few feet ahead of the ball (a leaf or divot mark that lies directly on his line to the target), and he uses that as his point of reference as he then goes through the motions of getting himself correctly and squarely set-up for the shot.
Ernie then takes a couple of looks at that intermediate target as he swivels his head to scan the distant target, then he pulls the trigger and goes. But when he's fidgety, not entirely happy with the shot or his club selection he will look up maybe four or five times before making his swing. And when that happens he usually hits a poor shot.
The point that I'm making here is that good players develop a pre-shot routine and stick rigidly to it when they are in full flow and playing well. Which is why we at the DLGA believe it is so important that our students learn to do the same - and rehearse it regularly in practice. Let me show you how to make this a habit that helps you make more good swings and hit more solid shots.
GET A FIX ON YOUR TARGET LINE
Identifying some sort of intermediate target is a key element of a good pre-shot routine, for the simple reason that it is much easier to aim the clubface squarely on a tuft of grass or an old divot-mark just a few feet in front of your ball than it is on the flag away in the distance.
When you practise, pick out a mark (a few feet ahead of the ball you are hitting) that lies bang on the line to your ultimate target, and then go through your routine - starting behind the ball - with that spot fixed in your mind's eye.
As you go about your business, everything revolves around that intermediate target: you aim the clubface squarely at it before getting your body into a good square position, your grip perfect, posture ready to make a good swing. Finally, look up once or twice (develop your own preference) and then pull the trigger.
IF YOU SLICE THE BALL, READ THIS:
Most higher-handicap golfers make the mistake of getting their shoulders aiming to the right of the target at the set-up (i.e. 'open' - aiming well to the left of the ball-to-target line). That leads to an out-to-in swing path and (most likely) a slice.
To fix that problem, make a habit of aiming the dub face with just your left hand on the grip, your right hand/arm down by your side. That will help keep the right shoulder back, so when you then bring the right hand onto the grip, your shoulders are square with the target line. You are then in a good position to make a good shoulder turn, get your upper body behind the ball and swing the club on the desired inside-to-square-to-inside path.
MAKE A SOLID FIRST MOVE
Simplicity is the key to inspiring a flowing chain-reaction
Not only do good players follow a regimented pre-shot routine, they make sure that they get their swing started with a solid first move that sets the tone for the whole motion in terms of its shape and rhythm. With a mid-iron, here's what you need to be thinking of.
From the set-up position, the key is to get everything working away together to create some momentum. By that (and this over the firm foundation of the lower body), I mean you think in terms of moving your stomach, hands, arms and the clubhead away as a unit. To achieve this, focus on keeping that triangle between your arms and shoulders pretty well intact as you move the clubhead the first two or three feet of your swing (above centre). As you do this, the wrists should be encouraged to hinge freely away from the target in the process of setting the club on a good plane.
One of the key checkpoints that we look for (and one you can check yourself in front of a mirror) occurs as the club reaches a position parallel with the ground, the back of the left hand facing forwards and nicely mirroring the clubface. As you can see, the left arm is working nicely across the chest, and the toe of the club is pointing up towards the sky.
When you practise, make a habit of going through your pre-shot routine and rehearsing this sequence of first moves to this first move checkpoint before returning to your address position and then hitting a shot.
The better and more consistently you make this first move the more you will find that your swing gels together as a whole. Basically, you are honing the first key link in what is a chain reaction from start to finish.
It's the Australian Masters and everyone is watching Tiger Woods.
For me, I rather play than watch. So, there we were, Frank, Ricky and Henry Pua formed the 1st group.
Ray Pua, Stevie and myself formed the 2nd group with Ben Ben, our new playing friend from Indonesia. Ben plays off a 10 handicap. Surprisingly all of us are students of Herbie Schrale.
We all had a 2 hr group lesson with Herbie on Tuesday at Whaleback.
I was still grapplying with the new swing that Herbie was trying to get me to do. So was Ray Pua. Unfortunately, I have not had much practice with the new swing. I played to 100 and had 3 triple bogeys. It is always so frustrating when you know you can do better.
Back to the practice range next Tuesday for more lessons.
Had to be in court today. However the guys were good enough to agree to play in the afternoon so that I can get a game.
Players today were Henry, Ray Pua, Stevie, Sean , Frankie and myself. My brother in law Tony, came to join us at the 2nd nine. I played to 97 today which was not bad and quite easy. I hope I should be able to consistently break 100 and 90.
Tony who is visiting from Melbourne put on a brave game despite not playing for years. You can tell when someone has had training before. Maybe I will get a chance to play more games with him.
He says Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne has lots of beautiful courses. May take him on.
here is an article from Herbie, our resident coach. I must say I agree with him about golfers just smashing balls at the range. Have a look at his article and learn from it if you want to reduce your score.
On another note, we are holding a coaching clinic by Herbie at Whaleback this coming Tuesday 19 Nov 2009 at 6.30 pm. Cost will be $20 per person with free balls. Please confirm how many will attend asap.
By Herbie Schrale
Practice makes permanent, perfect practice makes perfect sense.
Identify.
All golfers should know their strengths and weaknesses but do truly find out you need to analyse your rounds of golf and record the following:
Fairways hit, greens in regulation (according to handicap), pitches from 100m, pitches from 50m, pitches from 30m, chip and run, chips, bunkers, putts.
We all love to practice what we are good at but what we should be doing is working on our weaknesses while maintaining our strengths.
Practice with a Purpose.
The objective in golf is not just to hit the ball, we can all do that. The aim is to place the ball in a desired location desired by the golfer in a way determined by the circumstances the golfer is faced with. Practice is the logical way in which you can train yourself to achieve this ability.
When practicing always have a clear objective in mind when playing each shot (never just stand and hit balls). It is called “hitting mode” and is seen happening on all ranges where golfers just grab another ball and whack it, ball after ball.
You can only focus on one thing at a time and when working on your game you need to decide if it one of the following modes:
Mechanical
Sensory
Target/Competitive
Mechanical - stop start, checking swing, drills, conscious swing thought work in sections to fix swing problems. Use of aids, static and active drills. At no stage worry about ball flight or aiming at targets, just fix the problem and work on one aspect at a time until fixed. Use a work station.
Sensory – Rhythm and swing tempo, balance and fluidity work. Distance control work and technique shots (draws, slices, punches and low running shots etc) Speed work and high repetition work to cement and entrench mechanical work. Again, good contact with the ball and good ball flight but no regard to accuracy.
Use of a work station.
Target/Competitive. This is playing shots as you should on the golf course. The biggest complaint from golfers is they can hit great shots on the range and then, when they get on the course the results are just not there. How many of you practice shots on a range as you would on the course? One shot at a time, picking a target and going through your entire set up routine to play each shot. I watch a large number of golfers on the range and I never see golfers;
1)Walking off the mats and then standing behind the ball to line up’
2) Then walk in, correctly setting up using their routine.
3) Focus on the target and then fire off the shot.
If you don’t practice as you would play then how do you expect the body and mind to respond correctly on a course under more exacting circumstances.
Working on your routine does three things for you game and needs attention all the time.
1)Like a pilots check list, you don’t forget any basics (correct alignment, grip, stance and feet pressure, shoulder and hip position etc)
2)It acts as a focal stimulus in that the mind now concentrates on the routine and helps get you into the “zone”
3)It becomes familiar and helps the body relax and releases tension which are major contributors to a bad swing
Pointers
The following should be considered when practicing:
1)Always warm up Start with stretching and then hit a few shots using a lofted club (Pitching wedge) to 30 metres, then 60 metres and finally to 90 metres.
2)Always use a work station. These can be other clubs, two small sticks or anything you like, but always have a way of checking that you are aligned correctly with relation to your shoulders, hips and feet with the club face and target line.
3)Practice the parts of the game in percentages according to the degree of relevance it has in your game. Analysis of you game will indicate as to what % of your game is putting, short game (under 40 metres), pitching and then full swings. This can further be broken down into full swings from 120 metres or less, 120 metres to 150 metres, above 150 metres and then driving. How much of your practice time is skewered in practicing the lower % shots and not working on the parts of the game that will lower your score by improving your game.
4)Think quality on a range and at practice, not quantity. There are too many golfers that think by hitting 200 balls on the range they have had a good session. Hit 200 shots on the course and tell me your thoughts. The game is the least shots the better and the better you get the higher the percentage of your game will be putting. (Golf is designed to score in such a way that 50% of the course will be putting, i.e. par three green in 1 and two putts, par four green in 2 and two putts, par 5 green in three and 2 putts, do the maths).
5)Make practice fun, play games and always set yourself a challenge when working on target work to judge your performance and don’t quit until you have succeeded. Be realistic on your challenges and work on increments.
6)Like gym work or any other training vary what you are planning to practice be it short game one session, long game with three different clubs the next to bunkers and drivers the next.
7)Knowing what to practice and the correct technique required will do more for you game in a short time then wasting time and money practicing the wrong swing and therefore re-entrenched bad habits. With this in mind, most golfers allow the ball to dictate how they swing (change the swing to correct ball flight depending on what the ball does i.e. compensations). Good golfers get the correct swing first and then tell the ball where to go, make the ball react to you, not the other way around.
Conclusion
If you have any queries or questions on anything in this article, if you need specific drills to work on, advice on training aids or on how to set up a work station etc, then please come and see me, call or e-mail me.
I run supervised practice sessions where we work on specifics each week depending on who is there and what problems they need covering. These are held every Monday evening from 5.30pm to 7pm, Wednesday mornings from 10am to 11.30am and on Friday mornings from 9am to 10.30am and from 4pm to 5.30pm. The cost is $20.00 per person and you are given a bucket of 60 balls with which to practice. With summer coming I was wondering if there would be a desire for an early morning session before work i.e. 7am to 8.30am during the week. If anyone is interested could they please give me a call or send me an e-mail.
My apologies for the lack in newsletters but I will be in touch on a more regular basis.
My son Jazton, Eduard, myself and Bui. Photo taken by Tyzton , my youngest son.
It was a beautiful Sunday. Those who had to go to church would have gone and had lunch. For me, I was at the course with my sons and my friends. Ed and Bui are friends who play badminton and who have been converted by myself to the crazy game of golf.
Both are finding their feet, while my sons Jaz and Tyz have great potential but are a bit too lazy and uncommitted. Gee, if I had my dad supporting me in golf at their age, I might have been a Tiger Tan :)
Anyway, we only had time to play 9 holes. I managed to play to 46 which I thought was pretty good. All was going well and I had 4 pars. It was at the 7th hole where my ego took over my common sense. I had been using a 3 wood all along. When I saw the low scores, I told myself, let's get out the driver and blast this game. Bad mistake, it went to the right of the fairway to the bush leading me to a triple bogey.
How does one tame one's ego and just use a safe club. That is the lesson to be learnt. Bui and Ed did not do very well as they are finding their feet. Jaz was quietly achieving bogeys and double bogeys. He has potential and I have to work on him.
Tyz tried a few chips and putts but lost interest. I wish he would embrace the game as he has such great potential.
I believe I can easily break 100 each time I play if I park my ego with my Audi Q7 at the carpark.
